2000
#14,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Solt
An occupational surname derived from Middle High German "solde," meaning "pay" or "salary," likely referring to a mercenary soldier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,947 Americans carry the last name Solt. That puts it at #16,434 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 176,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Solt surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 176,042
Census rank
#16,434
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,698 bearers of the surname Solt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16434th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Solt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Solt
The surname SOLT has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "salz," meaning salt, suggesting that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in the salt trade or production.
The earliest recorded instances of the name SOLT can be found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards. For example, it appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony.
One notable bearer of the name SOLT was Konrad Solt, a German merchant and landowner who lived in the 14th century. Records indicate that he owned several salt mines and played a significant role in the salt trade in the region of Thuringia.
Another historical figure with the surname SOLT was Hans Solt, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century (approximately 1500-1570). His works, which included religious scenes and portraits, can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 17th century, the SOLT name was also associated with Johann Solt (1604-1668), a German theologian and professor at the University of Jena. He was known for his writings on Protestant theology and his contributions to the development of Lutheran doctrine.
The name SOLT can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as Solthausen and Soltau, which may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in different regions.
Throughout its history, the surname SOLT has been recorded with various spelling variations, including Solte, Solth, and Soldt, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Solt
Among Census respondents with the surname Solt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Solt bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Solt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,569
- Two or more races3.1% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 52
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Solt
Solt appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,971
+150 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#16,434
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,698
-273 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 1,443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,912 | 1,821 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,991 | 1,971 | 0.67 | +150 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #16,434 | 1,698 | 0.57 | -273 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 1,443 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Solt surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,991 | #16,434 | -9.6% |
| Count | 1,971 | 1,698 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.57 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Solt bearers went from 1,971 to 1,698 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 1,443 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,991 to #16,434.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Solt
FAQ
Solt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Solt?
Name Census estimates that about 1,947 living Americans carry the surname Solt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 176,042 residents.
How common is Solt?
Solt ranks #16,434 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,698 people with the surname Solt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Solt.
Has Solt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Solt went from 1,971 recorded bearers to 1,698. That is a decrease of 273 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,991 to #16,434.
What does the Census say about the background of Solt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Solt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Solt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Solt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Solt (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Solt mean?
An occupational surname derived from Middle High German "solde," meaning "pay" or "salary," likely referring to a mercenary soldier. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Solt (0.57 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Solt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.